I mentioned the Mother Blessing Ceremony friends and I held this weekend for a pregnant friend yesterday and promised further details. Tune in tomorrow for tips on how to plan one yourself.

The following is an excerpt from the invitation. I didn’t write this, one of my wonderful cohorts in planning did. But I couldn’t have said it any better than she (and the second cohort who revised it) did.

About the Mother Blessing Ceremony

A Mother Blessing Ceremony is inspired by one of the traditional healing ceremonies of the Navajo people called a Blessingway. It marks a woman’s rite of passage into motherhood (or motherhood again!) by helping her to prepare mentally, emotionally and spiritually for the work of birthing and her role as a mother. During the gathering, friends of the mother come together to honor the strength and beauty of the mother, welcome a new baby to earth, share wisdom, and celebrate life and sisterhood.

We will be doing many things to honor [this mother's] second journey into motherhood, including:

·each creating a personal scrapbook page for the mother(supplies will be provided)

·creating a special birth necklace for the mother to symbolize our support during her birth (please bring two identical beads with you – one will be used on her necklace and one will be for a special bracelet for you)

·sharing stories about what makes her such a brilliant and powerful woman